Sunday, August 21, 2005

Patrons treated royally at airport

Taken aback, fliers are greeted by extremely helpful personnel at Minneapolis terminal.

By Louis Aguilar / The Detroit News

Ankur Dholakia / The Detroit News Passengers arrive at Detroit Metro Airport after being treated to outstanding service at the Northwest terminal in Minneapolis. Comment on this story Send this story to a friend Get Home Delivery

MINNEAPOLIS -- At Northwest Airlines, labor strife and the specter of Chapter 11 bankruptcy turn out to be great for customer service.

The personal touch in airline service that I thought had died along with free meals in coach was revived by Northwest personnel, at least on Saturday, just hours after 4,400 of their colleagues walked off their jobs.

As I waited for my afternoon flight from Minneapolis -- headquarters for the beleaguered airline -- to its biggest hub at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, everyone seemed to go out of their way to be helpful. It was the best I've been treated by airline workers in recent memory.

My six hours at the Minneapolis airport observing the impact of the walkout revealed only hints of the battle going on between Northwest and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, the union that represents the carrier's mechanics and aircraft cleaners.

I caught a brief glimpse of picketing employees when my taxi pulled up to the airport. As I walked into the terminal, someone dressed in a jumpsuit bearing the Northwest logo was handing travelers a fluorescent green paper that declared: "1,500 replacements with little experience are now in charge of your life!"

Once inside, however, the counterattack of kindness began. The Northwest ticket agent who checked my luggage took the time to carefully look at my bag and ensure that all of its pockets were zipped. When she noticed the paper ID tag was frayed, she handed me a new one.

I felt downright special.

I wasn't the only traveler taken aback. An agent drew Boston resident Amy Schlaks, 27, a map to her gate. "I thought she did it because it was going to be a long walk, or I had to take a shuttle," Schlaks said. "But all I had to do was take a left."

Inside the gates, a Northwest agent noticed a passenger run up to the monitors to find his flight. She left her gate and rushed toward him.

"What flight?" she said.

"Houston 10 a.m.," he said.

"Don't worry," she said. "You have time. Right down here, just near the food court, left hand side."

He rushed off, then looked back at the agent. "Wow," he said.

Ultimately, my flight was delayed for 35 minutes because a bathroom sink on the plane was clogged. Who knows if the incident was strike-related? Certainly, that kind of glitch can happen on any flight. The bigger question is this: If customer service can be stellar when the airline is in crisis, why can't it be as good every day?

The likely motivation for workers Saturday became clear as passengers checked in for a flight. A CNN broadcast blaring in the waiting area gave a strike update: "The first major airline strike since 1998 is under way. Will it result in Northwest declaring bankruptcy?"

You can reach Louis Aguilar at (313) 222-2760 or laguilar@detnews.com.